First-home buyers squeezed out further

The struggle for first-home buyers has continued, with their share of home loan approvals falling to a new record low, despite investor activity growing at a slower pace.

First-home buyer activity as a proportion of total borrowers fell to 12.3 per cent nationally in November, new figures released by the Bureau of Statistics today showed. The previous record low was 12.5 per cent in October.

Loans for investors hit a new record high.Credit:Paul Rovere

"Strong gains in housing finance continue to be led by investors and upgraders," ANZ analysts Paul Braddick and Dylan Eades said in a research note.

In NSW, first home buyer activity remained at 7.4 per cent, above the all-time low of 6.8 per cent in September. In Victoria, first home buyers made up 12.2 per cent of new housing loan commitments in November, up from the record low of 11.7 per cent in October.

A total of 52,912 owner-occupied housing loans were made in November, a seasonally adjusted 1.1 per cent growth for the month. Economists had projected a 1 per cent rise. October's growth was revised from 1 per cent to 1.1 per cent.

The total value of dwelling loans rose a seasonally adjusted 1.7 per cent to $26.9 billion. The value of loans for investors lifted by 1.5 per cent to reach $10.4 billion, a new record high. The value of owner-occupied loans grew 1.9 per cent.

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"The solid up-trend in housing finance reflects buoyant conditions in the home sales market,"Mr Braddick and Mr Eades said.

"NSW is leading other states in housing finance growth by a considerable margin reflecting the heat experienced in the Sydney home sales market in 2013."